Water Wise Watch - February 2018

This month at Water Wise

Can you believe it is February already? We hope you have had a wonderful year so far! February is the month of love, and this month we want to encourage you to love your environment.

Whether you live in a lovely little townhouse, a great sprawling house, or a cosy flat, you can encourage wildlife into your home. South Africa has a wealth of beautiful and hardy indigenous plants, shrubs, and trees that are suitable to spaces big and small. When planting indigenous, try and source locally available plants. Localised plants will be naturally adapted to the climate, and wildlife in your area. By growing indigenous plants you are encouraging biodiversity in your area. Indigenous and localised plants also require less water and maintenance as many of them rely only on rainfall to survive.

A diverse and local garden will encourage insects, birds, frogs and small mammals into your garden, increasing the 'environmental health' of your area. Love your environment and love your garden this February! Go indigenous!

Planting indigenous encourages wildlife into your garden:

Aim to create a natural ecosystem in your garden.

Use pots and containers in smaller spaces.

Provide local wildlife with food, water, nesting site and shelter.

Grow a variety of different sized plants.

In small spaces, plant indigenous climbers against walls.

Plant grasses for seed-eating birds, and for butterflies, and for nesting material for weavers.

Build a rockery to encourage lizards, which feed on mosquitoes and flies.

World Wetlands Day

This year's theme is 'Wetlands for a sustainable urban future'. We are encouraged to value our urban wetlands by retaining, restoring, and managing them.

Environmental Days

2018

Water Wise News

"The last three years were the hottest on record, the United Nations weather agency says, citing new global data underscoring the dramatic warming of the planet. Consolidated data from five leading international weather agencies shows that "2015, 2016 and 2017 have been confirmed as the three warmest years on record", the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said."

"Day Zero is based on the previous week's daily consumption average of 618 Ml/day. Only if all Capetonians reduce their daily use down to 87 litres or less, and the City implements the necessary projects, will we avoid Day Zero. To find out what you can do, visit www.capetown.gov.za/thinkwater."

"Johannesburg Water has confirmed that an earthy compound called geosmin has been detected in the drinking water supplied to residents of the City of Johannesburg however the substance is not harmful to human health. In a statement released on Monday the utility said it was notified of the substance..."

"The City of Johannesburg says level 1 water restrictions in the city are still in place since being effected in March last year‚ despite the province having enjoyed some rain this summer. MMC of environment and infrastructure services said: “City of Johannesburg residents are requested to reduce their water consumption patterns as water usage has increased at an alarming rate and this is of serious concern..."

Weather for January / February

El Niño has, in the last month, drastically developed in a cool phase, and predictions now indicate a likelihood of a moderate La Niña to be in effect during late summer (Jan-Feb-Mar). Potential flooding events remain a concern through late summer; however, late summer above-normal rainfall tends to be more frequent rather than more intense. Lower temperatures on average are also expected throughout the late summer period, as consistent cloud cover and rainfall events are expected to be more dominant than usual. In contrast however, the south-western parts of the country are still expected to experience higher temperatures on average and possibilities for hot spells are more likely during this time.

Weather at Zwartkopjes 2017/2018

*Due to technical difficulties, the weather summary for January 2017/2018 is currently unavailable. This will be updated as soon as the data is made available. We apologise for the inconvenience.